About Jessica Taube
"I have spent my career working in and alongside public schools — working with students, families, teachers, support staff, and administrators. I know what schools need to thrive, and I know what gets in the way. Nothing will change at a systems level until we have a Board that is serious about governance and accountability. The need for solutions is urgent, and I'm ready."
Jessica Taube is a parent, licensed social worker, community organizer, and West Side resident who has spent 16 years building culturally responsive youth programs in public schools and community organizations across New Jersey and New York City. She has been organizing for improvements in Jersey City Public Schools for the 11 years she has lived on the West Side, and this year she decided that the most direct path forward was a seat at the table.
As Director of Conflict Resolution and Anti-Bias Initiatives at the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, Jessica launched the organization's first restorative justice training program, which became its most popular offering among educators and administrators statewide. She has trained more than 3,000 New Jersey educators in restorative practices, anti-bias approaches, and trauma-informed care, including hundreds of Jersey City Public Schools staff, and is co-author of the Foundation's first Restorative Justice guide. She recently served as Services Director at Make the Road New Jersey and is the owner of WholeCircle Consulting, where she provides inclusive training, coaching, and advocacy to educators and youth-serving professionals statewide.
Jessica brings experience that goes beyond education and social work. She has managed large and complex budgets and built operations and finance systems from the ground up, skills she intends to apply directly to Board governance and fiscal oversight. She is a bilingual English/Spanish speaker, an active PTO leader, and a parent of two children in Jersey City Public Schools, one in general education and one in special education. Her experience navigating the district as a special education parent has deepened her commitment to accountability and her understanding of what families are up against when systems fail them.
Jessica leads with integrity, collaboration, justice, and empathy. She has built programs and systems from the ground up and restructured existing ones to make them work better. She is not afraid to make hard decisions, and she is an expert at listening and bringing people together. She is running because she has the skills, the community support, and the commitment to help lead this district forward.
Why I’m Running
I've been thinking about running for years now, but different things got in my way. I didn't have the time, my kids were too young, work was too intense, and so on.
However, the 2024-2025 school year was particularly painful as I tried to get an IEP for my son, and I had no capacity to advocate in the way I normally do. It worried me tremendously that if I, someone with personal and professional privilege, had the experience I did, it had to be worse for others. And then, in August of 2025, two district employees responsible for special education were walked out of the district without explanation.
I started to put things together, and realized that the issues in the district were worse than I thought, and I was now living the experience of someone on the ground feeling the effects of those issues. I decided it was time to get back to my advocacy work, and I started by building relationships with other parents of children in special education. I was so inspired by these new connections, but also exhausted. Something had to give.
Then one day, about a year into this, my son, who had started emerging from a long period of autistic burnout, looked at me and said, "You are the best Mama".
In that moment, I decided it was time to take my advocacy to the next level and run for a seat on the school board.
My Vision for the District:
Every single school in Jersey City should be a joyful and equitable learning environment that embraces students, families and staff and make them feel seen, supported, and challenged.
The major problems are a lack of strong systems in central office, weak budgetary controls, and a lack of true governance by the school board. This translates into inequity across schools, lower academic outcomes for vulnerable students, special education students not being served as they should, and overwhelmed staff. We will focus on Academic Achievement for Every Student and Equity Across the District by aligning resources to holistically support students based on what they need. We will focus on meaningful board oversight and financial accountability by commissioning a forensic audit. We need to know exactly where every dollar is going, and reassess priorities based on what we learn from the audit and roundtables. Using my expertise in trauma informed and restorative practice to help strengthen policy around school climate and safety, I will ensure that policy guidelines and budget priorities allow staff to implement these practices with fidelity for the benefit of students and staff.
To address these issues, I am proposing three things:
Commission a forensic audit and look for immediate cost saving options
Convene roundtables with staff and families along with evaluating the performance of the superintendent
Revisit the strategic plan that started years ago to see if it still aligns with the gaps we are identifying
What I want people to understand:
Those who know my work remember that years ago I fought for full funding for Jersey City's schools. That fight was necessary then. Today, the challenge is different: enrollment is declining, academic outcomes are not rising, and spending is not matching results.
The resources exist. The talent exists. What is needed now is a Board with the experience and the will to make bold decisions and lead this district toward creative, innovative solutions.
I am not afraid to make hard decisions. I am an expert at listening and bringing people together. I highly value teachers, support staff, security staff, food service workers, administrators, parent and caregiver volunteers, and young people — the people who make up the fabric of Jersey City's schools and who deserve responsible stewardship of public resources.
I have built programs and systems from the ground up and restructured existing ones to make them work better. I lead with integrity, collaboration, justice, and empathy, and am committed to listening, learning, and building a school district where every student grows and every adult who supports their learning is valued.